Refrigerating apparatus



Jan. 29, 1935. F. M. ROONEY 1,989,247

I REFRIGERATING APPARATUS I Filed April 19, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 1935. F. M. ROONEY REFRIGERATING APPARATUS 2 She ets-Sheet 2 Filed April 19, 1952 l :5 I I Patented Jan. 29, 1935 PATENT oer-l ce 1,989,247 REFRIGERATING APPARATUS Frederick M. Rooney, New York,

N. Y., assignor to Dubuar-Rooney, Inc., New York, N. 1., a

corporation of New York Application April 19, 1932, Serial No. 606,101 I 11 Claims.

ficiently wide temperature range to enable thetest to be conducted accurately and efliciently; second, because no control of the regulation of temperature can be obtained; and third, because it is messy, troublesome, and uneconomical. In-

asmuch as the prescribed bath temperature for.

testing of oils in accordance with the specifications of the American Society of Testing Materials is from 15 to 30 Fahrenheit below that of the expected Pour point, it frequently happens that th conditions of the test are not in accordance with said specifications.

Accordingly, one of the objects of the present invention is to provide a novel method of and apparatus for producing refrigerating action whereby the foregoing difficulties are substan tially eliminated and eiiicient and. economical laboratory refrigeration obtained.

Another object is to provide a novel method of refrigeration employing a solid refrigerant which does not become liquid but sublimes, as for example, solid carbon dioxide and which consists in spraying on to said refrigerant a liquid which is not miscible with the refrigerant and yet having a relatively low freezing point. in order to prevent the formation of a frozen film on the particles of the solid refrigerant, circulating the liquid directly into the region to be cooled, and controlling the flow of the liquid so as to obtain a predetermined constant flow whereby any desired constant low temperature may be maintained.

Another object is to provide novel refrigerating apparatus employing a solid refrigerant such,

for example, as solid carbon dioxide, wherein a liquid of low freezing point which is not miscible with or capableof dissolving the solid refrigerant, is continually pumped from a chamber containing the solid refrigerant to the refrigerating chamber and circulated from the latter chamber to the former, and sprayed under pressure on to the solid refrigerant to bring it into intimate contact therewith and to prevent formation of a frozen film on the refrigerant.

A further object is to provide refrigerating apparatus embodying a novel method of and means for controlling the refrigerating action within predetermined limits whereby a substantially constant desired low temperature may be maintained.

Another object is to provide in refrigerating apparatus of the classdescribed novel connections between the chamber containing the refrigerant and the refrigerating chamber whereby a portion of the refrigerating liquid may be by-passed and circulated without coming into contact with the refrigerant in order to reduce the refrigerating action to any desired degree.

Still another object is to provide in refrigerating apparatus of the above type a novel valve for controlling the circulation of the refrigerating liquid between the chamber containing the solid refrigerant and the refrigerating chamber whereby accurate control of the flow of the refrigerating liquid may be obtained.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a novel unitary structure of refrigerating apparatus which is small, self-contained and compact, yet strong, durable and efficient, and particularly suitable for service in a routine laboratory as, for example, in an oil testing laboratory although it may be used for other suitable pur= poses where accurate control of low temperature is required.

The above and other objects and advantages of the invention will'appear more fully hereinafter from a consideration of the detailed description which follows taken together with the accompanying drawings wherein is illustrated one embodiment of the invention. It is to be expressly understood, however, that the drawings are for the purpose of illustration and description only and are not designed as a definition of the limits of the invention, reference being had for this purpose-to the appended claims.

In the drawings, wherein like reference characters refer to like parts throughout the several views, v

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of one form of apparatus embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a detailed section of one form of novel valve embodied in the invention;

Fig. 4 is a detailed perspective view of the valve member of the valve shown in Fig. 3; and

Fig. 5 is a detailed perspective view of the plate supporting the solid refrigerant.

The refrigerating apparatus embodying the present invention provides a,compact, self-coniii;

tained unit for obtaining the required bath temperature for the entire range of petroleum products and by virtue of the novel control means any temperature between room temperature and 70 Fahrenheit may be obtained. One of the principal advantages obtained by the novel refrigerating apparatus is the refinement of oil tests provided in the temperature range, the latter including the test temperature of steam refined cylinder oils and black oils.

The solid refrigerant employed is preferably solid carbon dioxide which is placed on a perforated plate in one chamber and on which, in accordance with the novel method of the present invention, is sprayed a suitable liquid having a relatively low freezing point, preferably a liquid such as kerosene or petroleum spirits or a mixture of both, and the liquid is then circulated by means of a suitable pump into the region to be cooled as, for example, around the oil test jars. The purpose and object of using a liquid such as kerosene or petroleum spirits or a mixture of both is because such a liquid is not miscible with or capable of dissolving solid carbon dioxide and, therefore, vigorous gassing is prevented without losing the high refrigerating effect of the carbon dioxide. Furthermore, since the carbon dioxide is substantially insoluble in kerosene or petroleum spirits the latter is not rendered deleterious to the lining of the chambers in which it is circulated or to the pump employed to circulate the liquid. Carbon dioxide is preferred as the refrigerant because it does not melt but sublimes when absorbing heat, thereby further insuring the nonmiscibility of the refrigerant with the liquid. It

is to be understood, however, that any combina-,

tion of refrigerating liquid and refrigerant may be employed so long as they are highly non- 4o conveniently mounted on the main structure of miscible. The pump may be driven in any suitable manner as by means of an electric motor the apparatus. Further, in accordance with the novel method, the spraying is uninterrupted while it is desired to reduce the temperature and when 5- the required temperature is reached the spraying is reduced and circulation continued through the region to be cooled by means of the pump, permitting an amount of chilled solution to be admitted to the system at a rate to compensate for the heat absorbed. Since the rate of heat transfer is a functionbf the speed of circulation it will be apparent that temperature regulation may be easily effected by means of a single control lever which constitutes the novel valve of the present invention. By the action of the pump the liquid in the cooling region or test chamber is efllciently and automatically agitated at all times.

Speed and economy of the method and apparatus embodying the present invention may beindicated by the fact that with about five pounds of solid carbon dioxide put into the apparatus in small amounts the bath temperature may be reduced from that of the room to 10 Fahrenheit in approximately six minutes and maintained at that temperature for substantially one and a half hours. -In approximately twelve minutes the same amount of refrigerant will reduce the tempresent invention comprises in the form shown,

of the chamber in which there is a small opening 11 to permit the escape of gases liberated by the refrigerant during operation. The bottom of the chamber 6 is connected to a suitable pump 12, through a control valve 13 which will be described more fully hereinafter, for pumping the refrigerating liquid from the chamber 6 into the refrigerator test chamber 14 through a connecting pipe 15 which enters the latter through an opening 15a at the bottom thereof. The pump 12 is preferably of the centrifugal type and may be operated in any suitable manner as by means of an electric motor 16 coupled thereto by means of the coupling 17 and supported from the main housing 18 as by means of the bracket 19.

The main housing or casing 18 is preferably of cast iron and may be supported by legs 20, secured to or formed integral with the housing. The chambers 6 and 14 may be made of any suitable material such as heavily tinned copper and are completely housed within the casing 18 and suitably insulated with heat insulating material 21 such as cork. The cooling or test chamber 14 is sealed against leakage by means of a cover 22 secured to the casing 18 in any suitable manner as by means of rivets 22a and when the apparatus is to be used for oil testing purposes several tubes 23 are placed within the chamber 14 and supported from the cover 22, and also suitably sealed around the top to prevent leakage of refrigerating liquid from chamber 14. A spray nozzle 24 is provided for spraying the refrigerating liquid which is pumped from the chamber 14, onto the solid refrigerant 7 and is connected to the chamber 14 in any suitable manner as by means of a coupling 25. The spray nozzle 24 extends into and diametrically across substantially the whole chamber 6. A suitable temperature indicating device such as a thermometer 26 is provided, the sensitive portion of which extends into the chamber 14 while the indicating portion projects above the top of the cover 22.

It will thus be seen that as a refrigerating liquid, such as kerosene or petroleum spirits or a mixture of both, is poured into the chamber 6 it will pass through the valve 13 and will be pumped by the pump 12 into the chamber 14 through the pipe 15 and then will be forced under pressure low temperaturggithin the cooling or test chamber 14, and to t end novel means are provided whereby the flow and circulation of the refrigerating liquid from the chamber 6 to the chamber 14 may beaccurately' and efllciently controlled to any desired extent. In the form shown, said means comprise a by-passconnection between the chamber 6 and the chamber 14, constituted by a pipe '27 and controlled bymeans of the novel three-way valve 13 which-is illustrated indetail in Figs. 3 and 4.

Referring now to Fig. 3, the valve 13 comprises a block 28 having a cylindrical chamber 29 and passages 30, 31, and 32, which communicate with the chamber 6, the pump 12, and through the pipe 27 with the chamber 14, respectively. The control member of the valve is in the form of a hollow cylinder 33 having a portion of approximately 270 of its surface cut away leaving an effective portion 34 between the ends 35 and 36 thereof. The cylinder 33 is arranged to be rotated within the chamber 29 so that when the passage 30 is completely blocked by the portion 34, the entire flow is from the cooling chamber 14 through the by-pass pipe 27, through the passages 32 and 31 to the pump 12 and back to the chamber 14 through the pipe 15, without any liquid being sprayed onto the refrigerant 7 in the chamber 6 by the nozzle 24. On the other hand when the passage 32 is completely blocked by the portion 34 the entire flow is then from the chamber 6 through the passages 30 and 31 to the pump 12, and from the pump to the chamber 14 through the pipe and back to the chamber 6 through the spray 24 thereby causing all the liquid to come into vigorous and intimate contact with the solid refrigerant 7. It will also be apparent that if the valve is turned so that the portion 34 covers only a portion of passage 30 and a portion of passage 32, 'a circulation of the liquid through the chamber 14 may be controlled in such a manner that part of it will be continuously circulated between the chamber 14 and the pump 12 through the by-pass 27 and pipe 15 without being sprayed into the chamber 6 while another portion is continuously circulated through the pump 12, pipe 15, chamber 14, nozzle 24 and chamber 6. In this way the amount of liquid which is sprayed vigorously onto the solid refrigerant may be controlled to any desired ex-- tent, and since the rate of heat transferis a function of the rate of circulation the temperature of the refrigerating liquid and hence the chamber 14 may be easily effected by means of the novel control valve 13.

In order to provide for ready access and manipulation of the valve 13 the member 33 is provided with a shaft 37 which extends through the casing 18 and has secured thereto an actuating lever 38 on which is carried an index 39. cooperating with suitable indicia 40 for indicating the degree of control desired. In order to start the apparatus into operation the lever 38 is turned until it is vertical, at which time the by-pass 27 is completely closed so that there is communication between the chambers 6 and 14 only through the pipe 15 and spray nozzle 24. The pump is started by energizing the electric motor, and the refrigerating solution is then poured into the chamber 6 until the spray begins to discharge and the level of the liquid inside of said chamber is very slightly below the perforated plate 8. So long as the level of the solution is just up to the plate 8 an adequate supply of liquid to the pump is assured.

For bath temperatures above -40f Fahrenheit, straight kerosene may be employed as the refrigerating liquid, while for those above 60 Fahrenheit and below 40 Fahrenheit a mixture of approximately 25% kerosene and 75% petroleum spirits is preferred. For lower temperatures straight mineral spirits may be employed. After the liquid is circulating, a solid refrigerant in the form of lumps is placed into the chamber 6 on the plate 8, at which time the refrigerating action in the chamber 14 will occur. When the desired low temperature is reached, the valve 13 is operated by actuating the lever 38 counter-- clockwise. Then in order to'maintain the temperature substantialy constant the lever 38 is manipulated until a position is found by the index or pointer 49 on the indicia 40 which will keep the temperature in the bath constant within plus or minus 3 Fahrenheit. A pet-cock valve 41 is provided for the chamber 14 for draining the liquid therefrom when it is desired to change the liquid in the system.

There is thus provided a novel method of and apparatus for producing refrigerating action, particularly suitable for laboratory purposes and whereby accurate control of temperatures may be obtained within exceptionally small limits but within a large range of temperatures.

Although only one embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described, various changes and modifications in the form and in the arrangement of parts, which will now appear to those skilled in the art, may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. Reference is, therefore, to be had to the appended claims for a definition of the limits of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. Refrigerating. apparatus comprising a heat insulated housing having a cooling chamber, a second chamber, means connecting said chambers to permit a flow of liquid therebetween, a liquid in said cooling chamber and having a relatively low freezing point, means in contact with said liquid and providing a receptacle in said cooling chamber for a substance to be cooled, a solid refrigerant in said second chamber and supported therein in such a manner as to prevent the passage thereof into the cooling chamber, a spray in said second chamber and connected to said cooling chamber for directing said liquid onto said solid refrigerant, means for circulating said liquid from the second chamber to the cooling chamber andcausing it to be vigorously sprayed by said spray onto the solid refrigerant in order to prevent the formation of a frozen film thereon and to bring said liquid into direct and intimate contact with said solid refrigerant, means forming a by-pass connection between said cooling chamber and said second chamber, a three-way valve interposed between the first connecting means, the second chamber and the by-pass connecting means whereby the refrigerating liquid can be either by-passed completely from the second chamber without its coming into contact with the solid refrigerant after a predetermined low temperature has been reached, or the by-pass connection completely closed'so that all of the refrigcrating liquid can be sprayed onto the solid refrigerant, or the flow of said liquid so controlled that any desired portion thereof can be sprayed onto the solid refrigerant and the remainder bypassed without coming into contact with the refrigerant thereby controlling the refrigerating actionin the cooling chamber to any predetermined degree, and means for indicating the position of said valve.

2. Refrigerating apparatus comprising in combination, a cooling chamber, a second chamber, means connecting said chambers to permit a flow of liquid therebetween, a liquid in said cooling chamber and having a relatively low freezing point, means in contact with said liquid and providing a receptacle in said cooling chamber for a substance to be cooled, a solid refrigerant broken up to form smaller pieces supported in said second chamber in such a manner as to prevent the passage of said pieces into the cooling chamber, means for circulating said liquid between the two chambers and causing it to be sprayed under pressure onto the pieces of refrigerant to prevent the formation of a frozen film thereon and to bring said liquid into direct and intimate contact with said pieces of refrigerant thereby affording increased cooling effect of the refrigerant on the liquid, means forming a by-pass connection between said cooling chamber and ,said second chamber, and a three-way valve for controlling the flow of the'refrigerating liquid between the two chambers in such a manner that only a portion of saidliquid may be brought into contact with the refrigerant thereby controlling the refrigerating action in the cooling chamber to any predetermined degree.

3. Refrigerating apparatus comprising in combination, a cooling chamber, a second chamber, means connecting said chambers to permit a flow of liquid therebetween, a liquid in said cooling chamber and comprising. petroleum spirits having a relatively low freezing point, a refrigerant consisting of solidified carbon dioxide in said .sec-

ond chamber and supported therein in such amanner as to prevent the passage thereof into the cooling chamber, means for circulating said petroleum spirits between the two chambers and causing it to be sprayed under pressure onto said solidified carbon dioxide whereby the liquid is cooled, means forming a by-pass connection between the two chambers, and a three-way valve for controlling the flow of said petroleum spirits between the two chambers so that the amount thereof coming in contact with the carbon dioxide can be limited to a predetermined extent thereby controlling the refrigerating action in the cooling chamber.

4. Refrigerating apparatus comprising, in combination, a refrigerating chamber, a second chamber, means connecting said chambers to permit a fiow of liquid therebetween, a refrigerating liquid in said refrigerating chamber and consisting of a mixture of kerosene and petroleum spirits, a refrigerant consisting of solidified carbon dioxide in said second chamber, means for preventing the passage of said refrigerant into the refrigerating chamber, means for spraying the ref rigerant liquid onto the refrigerant to prevent the formation of a frozen film thereon and to bring said liquid into direct and intimate contact with said refrigerant, means forming a by-pass connection between said refrigerating chamber and said second chamber, means for circulating said refrigerating liquid between the two chambers, and means for controlling the flow of the refrigerating liquid so that the amount thereof coming in contact with the refrigerant may be limited to any predetermined extent thereby contr0lling the refrigerating action in the refrigerating chamber.

5. A method of refrigeration which consists in spraying under pressure a liquid comprising petroleum spirits onto a solid refrigerant to prevent formation of a frozen film-0f said petroleum spirits on said refrigerant, andcontinuously circulating said petroleum spirits from the refrigerant to the region to be cooled.

6. A method of refrigeration which consists in vigorously spraying under pressure a liquid comprising a mixture of kerosene and petroleum spirits onto a solid refrigerant to prevent formation of a frozen film of said mixture on said refrigerant, and continuously circulating said mixture from the refrigerant to the region to be cooled.

7. A method of refrigeration which consists in spraying under pressure kerosene onto a solid refrigerant to prevent formation of a frozen film of kerosene on said refrigerant, and continuously circulating said kerosene from the refrigerant to the region to be cooled.

8. A method of refrigeration which consists in spraying under pressure a refrigerating liquid comprising petroleum spirits onto solidified carbon dioxide to prevent formation of a frozen film of said petroleum spirits on said solidified carbon dioxide, and continuously circulating said petroleum spirits from the solidified carbon dioxide 'to the region to be cooled.

9. A method of refrigeration which consists in spraying under pressure a refrigerating liquid composed of a mixture of kerosene and petroleum spirits onto pieces of solidified carbon dioxide to prevent formation of a frozen film of the mixture on said pieces and to bring the liquid into direct and intimate contact therewith, and continuously circulating the liquid from the carbon dioxide to the region to be cooled.

10. A method of refrigeration which consists in spraying under pressure kerosene onto pieces of solidified carbon dioxide to prevent formation of a frozen film of kerosene on said carbon dioxide, and continuously circulating said kerosene from the carbon dioxide to the region to be cooled.

11. A method of refrigeration which consists in vigorously spraying under pressure kerosene onto pieces of solidified carbon dioxide to prevent formation of a frozen film of kerosene on said carbon dioxide, continuously circulating said kerosene from the carbon dioxide to the region to be cooled, and by-passing some of the kerosene to prevent its coming into contact with the carbon dioxide whereby the amount of kerosene sprayed onto the carbon dioxide is controlled to obtain any predetermined temperature in the cooling region.

FREDERICK M. ROONEY. 

